Welcome to the DownUnder Direct Inspiration blog. Here you will find lots of fantastic projects using the wonderful range of products from DownUnder Direct. The DownUnder Direct range includes Bazzill Basics Paper, JustRite Stamps, Spellbinders, Swarovski Crystals and BLING-abilities. You will also find our latest edition - the wonderful pre cut and scored card blanks from Le Crystelle. Card blanks are now available for retail purchase only. To view the complete range visit www.lecrystelle.com.au

"This beautiful tin was too lovely to just throw away, so I thought I’d decorate it. You never know when you’ll need a little gift box at the last minute. From start to finish this took me around half an hour to complete, so it’s really quick."

Products Used:

Bazzill Basics Cardstock:

8-811E French Vanilla

4-406E Chiffon

Spellbinders:

S4-114 Circles Large

S4-124 Scalloped Circles Large

S5- 086 Bitty Blossoms

S5-089 Home Sweet Home

S5-084 Girlie Grunge Labels

Other Materials Used:

Authentique Blissful 6x6 pad

Gel medium

Frayed Burlap Distress Ink for sponging

Step One:

Gather your supplies.

Step Two:

After sanding the tin lightly to give it some tooth for the adhesive to grab on to, cover the sides of the tin with strips of patterned paper. My preferred adhesive for this type of project is Gel Medium.

Step Three:

The scalloped circle I cut didn’t quite cover up the little gaps so the tin was still visible under the paper. I simply cut a second scalloped circle, and moulded the scallops over the edge of the tin.

Step Four:

Cut a circle and scalloped circle to sit on the top of the tin, and adhere these in place.

Step Five:

Cut some leaves from the Bitty Blossoms set, and curl them over the end of a brush handle. Adhere the leaves to the top of the tin.

Step Six:

Cut some of the roses from the Bitty Blossoms set and assemble. Adhere these in place over the leaves.

Step Seven:

Cut a label from the Home Sweet Home set, and adhere a couple of the words from the Girlie Grunge set to it. Sponge the edges with some brown ink to bring out the detail, and adhere to the tin.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there. I hope you are all enjoying your special day.

In honour of Mother's Day we have a pretty, feminine card to share with you.

"There was some subtle pattern in the background of this paper, so I thought
I'd add to it by stamping a bird and cage in Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. It
filled up the 'white' space without detracting from the flowers at the
bottom left of the card."

Today I have a card to share using the new coordinating Medallion Stamps and Nestabilities from JustRite Stamps. With very little effort and limited extra materials you can create stunning projects in no time.

What is the criteria to enter:MUST HAVE:
Have your own blog to showcase work
Be computer savvy to be able to upload and/or email completed work to your Team leader.
A good Team spirit
All submissions must be your own original work.
Be living in AustraliaMUST NOT HAVE:
You must NOT own a profit/trading craft business however you can be an employee in the industry.

What will be the workload requirement for the winning members:
Must be able to produce 2 x cards, 2 x layouts and 1 x OTP each month
Plus One tutorial every two months.
(If you are selected for just cardmaking or layouts only ..then the
requirement will be 4 x cards OR 4 x layouts per month plus the OTP and tutorial)

How do I submit my designs:
Via email only with images not larger then 2MB each image.

How many samples of my work do I send:
Please send us four items: 2 x card samples 2 x layout samples.

How many rounds will be involved in the design call:
Two: If you are selected from the first round you will then be required
to submit to us projects that we will give you in the 1st week of June to be back
to us prior to our decision on the 15th June

What are the prizes for the winning members:
A prize package will include a Spellbinders Grand Calibur
plus Bazzill Basics Paper, Spellbinder Dies, Le Crystelle BLING-abilities
and Justrite stamp products to the retail value of $100
Ongoing recognition as being apart of a Design Team for a leading craft wholesaler

How will I be paid for my on-going monthly work?
This will be discussed with you if you are selected but rest assured that our current Design
Team members chose to continue on with us after their first year ..hey we must be doing something
right.

All submissions will be viewed and judged with the following criteria:
Design appeal
Overall quality and elegance.IMPORTANT: Good use and representation of the products we sell. (The more you use
our products on your entries the better chance you will have of being selected)

Is there a theme to follow for submission:
No… round one is simply samples of your work for us to choose you to move to round two.
If you qualify to round two we will then begin to ask for specifics.

How long will I be required to work on the team:
12 months

Do I need to submit anything else other then my work:
Yes. Please include in your submission a short reason why you feel you would like to be on our team.

Will there be any other work involved:
Yes you MAY be asked to design work for our product advertisements if required.

Will I be reporting directly to DownUnder Direct or will there be a team co-ordinator:
Yes you will be required to report to a team leader/co-ordinator.

"This is a cute little 'pick-me-up' card. After embossing and sponging the
wings with some brown ink, I gently curled them over my finger to give them
dimension. They are glued down only at the tips, and the heart is adhered
over the top with a couple of 3D Zots to give it height."